Twenty-five Islamic militants serving long jail terms have escaped from a prison in the Central Asian state of Tajikistan that borders Afghanistan, killing five guards, authorities said on Monday. The inmates broke free late Sunday from a detention centre of Tajikistan's State Committee of National Security in the capital Dushanbe, attacking guards and seizing their arms, a representative of the committee told AFP.
"As a result, one of the guards was killed, 25 armed inmates escaped from jail, changing into fatigues," the official said, citing a statement. Official statements described the inmates as Islamic militants who were serving sentences ranging from 30 years to life.
Following their prison break, the inmates raided a nearby detention centre of the justice ministry in the early hours of Monday. They "killed four guards and fled in a vehicle in an unknown direction," the official said, adding that authorities and law enforcement agencies were on high alert as they sought to recapture the runaways.